Verses 1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
Pihahiroth was the third encampment of the Hebrews after leaving Egypt. The name means, “place where sedge grows”.
Migdol is believed to be a city on the Egyptian border and the name means, “tower”. Baalzephon means, “lord of the north”.
God deliberately had Moses park the massive number of people that left Egypt between an Egyptian city and the Red Sea. From a military standpoint, this would be a disastrous place to stop and camp as there would be no place to go if attacked by the Egyptian military. Why did God choose this place? Because God knew that Pharaoh would think that the people were “entangled” (lost or in confusion) in the wilderness and that they would therefore be easy targets for his army to attack and apprehend. God wanted Pharaoh to make a move against His people so that He could once again show His mighty power and be glorified. He would provide a miracle and the Hebrew people would have greater faith in their God.
Application: God will often allow His believers to be placed in positions where they are helpless and unable to control what is happening in their lives. Why? Like the people following Moses, He wants to show His believers His mighty power and be glorified. He wants to provide miracles so that believers will grow their faith and know that He is their Savior and Protector, a very present help in times of trouble. See Psalms 46:1.
Verse 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
Apparently not all the Egyptians, even after ten horrible plagues, knew that the God of the Hebrews was the LORD God Almighty, the great I AM. God would use this last hardening of Pharaoh’s heart to bring the lesson home to the remaining Egyptian people.
Verses 5-7 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: 7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.
Apparently Pharaoh believed that the Hebrews were just going to the wilderness to serve their God with a sacrifice and he expected them to return to the miserable life they had experience under his rule and under his taskmasters. Once again his pride is wounded and he decides to bring them back by force. One has to wonder if Pharaoh was the first psychopath or insane person written about in the Bible. After Egypt was ruined by the Hebrew God, why would he want these people back? Pharaoh brings his entire chariot force against the Hebrew people who are on foot and who have no weapons with which to defend themselves. Notice that Pharaoh had 600 chariots, not 549 or 620. Remember that 6 is the number of man. What is being shown here? The battle is between evil man and the LORD.
Verses 8-9 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
Having a high hand means to be exalted above or to be lifted up. Slaves are not supposed to be exalted above their masters. This would be annoying to Pharaoh who was a king in Egypt. So Pharaoh chases Moses and the people just as the LORD knew he would and finds them backed against a sea with no boats and nowhere else to run or escape his superior military force. Try to imagine how the millions of Hebrew people felt when they saw the dust of this army of chariots approach. After all, trusting the God of the Hebrews was a fairly new experience for them. They probably were not terribly strong in faith towards the God that Moses and Aaron had introduced into their lives.
Verses 10-12 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
The children of Israel were frightened, and fear often clouds common sense. They should have known that the God that had destroyed Egypt to ransom their freedom was not going to let them perish in the wilderness. But fear caused them to lash out at Moses, the man that had done nothing but work tirelessly and unselfishly for their freedom and well being. The statement about there being no graves in Egypt may have been due to the fact that dead bodies were embalmed in Egypt and often placed in sepulchers instead of in the ground. Even though Joseph was the son of Jacob, he was embalmed in Egyptian fashion and his body placed somewhere where his bones could be easily retrieved by Moses when leaving Egypt.
Application: Several points of learning are in the above verses. First, fear is a normal response to danger or the thought and/or threat of dying. But fear is not from God. It is from the devils. 2 Timothy 1:17 says, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” So fear is an evil spirit sent to torment. 1 John 4:18 states, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” When a believer is totally in love with the LORD, his/her love is perfect and fear cannot take root. Perfect love puts a barrier around the believer so that, no matter what life throws at him/her, there will be no fear.
Secondly, the children of Israel cried out to God. When faced with troubling or threatening circumstances, the believer should go immediately to the LORD for wisdom and comfort. It is easy to see who a person’s god is during difficult times based on who he/she first runs to for help. Years ago the young son of the music minister at my church was hit by a car in the street outside of their house. While neighbors and family were panicking and calling 911, the minister knelt down in the street next to his unconscious son and began praying. There was no fear, just a perfect faith that God would take care of this situation and all would be well. His first response was to go to his God for help.
Thirdly, although the people cried to God, they did not wait for a response and began to blame. To them, everything was Moses’ fault. The believer needs to have patience and wait upon the LORD. Psalms 37:9 says, “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” Isaiah 40:31 gives a promise. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Therefore the believer should never fall into the blame trap. It will not help. Even if their situation is a result of another person, the believer needs to own the problem and have faith that the LORD will work it out.
Fourthly, the believer should never look back. Jesus warned in Luke 17:32, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Her story is recorded in Genesis chapter 19. The Hebrew people were willing to go back and be slaves again rather then face the new challenges in their lives with the help of the LORD. The Bible says in Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD; and he delighteth in his way.” Life doesn’t stand still. Change is inevitable and the believer should always be walking forward, physically, mentally and emotionally, towards whatever the LORD has in store for him/her.
Verses 13-14 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
One of the questions this writer will always have is how was Moses heard by the masses in a time when there were no loud speakers or methods to project the human voice? It would seem that God performed a miracle, but this writer still wonders if there was some way the people passed information one to another in an efficient manner. Anyway, Moses said two important things. “Fear ye not” and “stand still.” Good advice then and good advice now!
Application: The battle is always the LORD’s. Let Him fight for you while you keep silent.
Verses 15-18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
God basically asks Moses, “What are you waiting for? You have your rod. Use it.” God had given Moses power over the natural world and over devils way back at the burning bush. He knew what to do and did not need to cry to God for His help. He was representing the LORD and therefore could perform the miracles as needed through the LORD’s power.
Application: For the New Testament believer, all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been given so that the natural world can be controlled and so that the devils can be overcome for the purpose of showing the unbeliever that there is power in the name of Jesus. Miracles were common place in the early church. If miracles are not seen today, it is because believers are behaving like Moses and not doing what they are commanded to do. God is saying to the church, “What are you waiting for? You have my power. Use it.”
Verses 19-20 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
An angel is a manifestation of a spirit being. The word used here is “malak” pronounced mal awk and it can mean messenger or ambassador. Angels are referred to throughout the Bible, but this one is the angel of God. So it isn’t just any angel, but the angel. This writer believes that this angel is Jesus Christ manifesting before leaving Heaven and entering into a human body as a baby. Look for this reference as you read the scriptures and decide for yourself. This angel places himself between the enemy and the people of God, taking the pillar of the cloud with him. Therefore the presence of God is no longer leading, but protecting. Just as in the ninth plague, the Egyptians were in the dark, but God’s people were in the light. There was a separation of the two nations or people.
Application: The LORD Jesus Christ is the believer’s savior and protector. He keeps His people from the dangers of the three enemies (the flesh, the world and the devils) that have to be battled each and every day. Why? So that at the end of this life, the believer can cross over to the promised land which is Heaven and eternal life with the LORD.
As hard as it is to accept, some people will always be in the dark spiritually and not understand the things of God. Satan blinds their spiritual eyes so that they cannot see the truth of the Word of God when they are presented with it.
Verses 21-22 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Parting an entire body of water must have been overwhelmingly spectacular for Moses and Aaron to see. Can you mentally visualize what the Hebrew people were seeing and experiencing? Here they thought they were trapped and that they and their children were going to be killed by the Egyptian army, and now there was a dry path through the sea from Egypt, the land of bondage, to the other side, a land of freedom and promise. After this experience, wouldn’t one think that the Hebrews would never doubt Moses and Aaron or their God again?
Application: As stated previously, salvation today requires repentance, baptism and filling with the Holy Ghost. The Old Testament people had a form of baptism when they passed through the waters of the Red Sea. Their old life was symbolically washed away and their new life was to start.
Verses 23-25 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
The presence of the LORD was still in the pillar and was following the children of Israel as they crossed the sea on dry ground. To slow the Egyptian army down, the LORD removed the wheels of their chariots so they could not advance very well. It was then that the Egyptians knew they were in serious trouble. Like any national army, the equipment would be in top condition and maintained. They knew their wheels would not come off on their own. It was the hand of the God of the Hebrews. It was time to retreat.
Verses 26-28 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
All the Egyptians perished by drowning. One has to wonder how Moses felt knowing that by his command, men would die. What a difficult position to be in. But he obeyed his God.
Application: When in a difficult position, the believer must continue to follow the will and commandments of the LORD. The believer is in a spiritual battle against the powers of darkness and must be obedient.
Verses 29-31 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
Application: God performs miracles every day amongst the people of this world, yet most people explain the miracles away as coincidences and fail to fear the LORD and believe in the LORD. Believers need to be sensitive to what they are seeing and hearing in their own lives, on the news, at their churches and in their communities so that miracles from God can be realized, praised and given the attention they deserve.